spot the difference

Hello! So, as you’ve probably noticed if you’re reading this, I have a shiny new website. Which I’m still sort of working on, to be honest, meaning quite a lot of bits of it aren’t super working right now. But it will all be up and running soon, I promise. Though, like nearly every other project I’ve ever worked on, that might be soon in the Aslan sense.

I’ve been meaning to update the website for quite a while because, when I first started it, I didn’t really have much of an idea about what the finished produce was going to look like. At the beginning of what I somewhat laughably call my career I had a lot of spare time and not a lot of books to talk about so there’s quite a lot of detailed information about my earlier stuff—a lot of which probably isn’t that interesting to readers—but as time as gone on and my commitments and back catalogue have racked up the most I’ve been able to remember to do is stick up a copy of the cover with a brief description saying “this is a book about some people, they might kiss in it” and, if I was feeling tremendously on the ball, I’d include a buy link.

So basically I’ve streamlined a lot of things, rationalised a lot of things, trimmed a bunch of dead links and hired a professional to give the whole shebang a new shiny look. I hope you like it.

While we’re on the subject of the internet, my limited free time and getting professionals to do things I’m not very good at people who follow such things might have noticed that I’ve also handed over much of my social media presence to a social media manager. Essentially it had got to the point that I was spending more time talking about my books on the internet than I was spending actually writing new books and I didn’t think I was doing myself, or my readers, any favours. As a result, I’ve decided to step right back and discipline myself to using my sitting-down-in-front-of-a-computer-time writing fiction instead of tweeting pictures of hippos.

Which is a shame because I do love me some pictures of hippos. But I gots me some books to write.

I’ve told myself I’m going to update this blog more often as a sort of compromise position. But, as regular visitors to this website will know, my track record in this area does not exactly inspire confidence. That said, I have a whole crap tonne more Star Trek to talk about. And a couple of board games to review. I’m aware that some writers talk about their books and I sometimes think maybe I should talk about my books but I’m weirdly superstitious about that. Actually, I’m weirdly superstitious about most things.

Obviously I can still be contacted by most of the usual methods. My lovely Social Media Imp, Michele, is more than happy to pass on messages or tell me if there’s a hippo picture I particularly need to see. If you have any questions about any social media type stuff you can contact her directly at mjh(at)quicunquevult(dot)com. And, as ever, I love hearing from people and can be reached at ajh(at)quicunquevult(dot)com. I used to have to contact form but it died when I was updating the website. Unfortunately this means that any messages anyone has tried to send me in the past couple of weeks may have been eaten. I’m really sorry if this includes you and I’m trying to dig them out of the internet as we speak.

Anyway. That’s my exciting technical website update. I hope you enjoy the new look—which is basically all I can enjoy because I haven’t really got any of the rest of it working yet.

Also I had a book out a bit a go and I’ve been so distracted I sort of kept forgetting to mention it. But there’s a book out, it’s called Pansies. I really will send a newsletter round at some point.

PS – here is my favourite hippo. I identify with this hippo very much.

Egads. Never puce. There are all sorts of shades and tints happening here, every last one delicious, and none of them puce.

I do get a great deal of joy out of highlighting a word and having the highlight show up as purple. I’ve said it once already, but it bears repeating. That and I’m always repeating myself. Have I mentioned the purple highlights?

Well done to your social media imp the updates to the website are excellent and also beautiful, I particularly love the front page/landing page or whatever it’s called it is indeed shiny.
Glad you are doing what’s best for you and I’m looking forward to all your plot bunnies becoming more of your amazing books.

Social media….I’m supposed to discipline myself this morning, I’ve emails to read, books to check out, a couple of reviews to write but I keep getting pulled aside into diversions – haven’t seen any hippo pics though….
Facebook is a real time suck for me, I think I’ll just take a quick peek, do my nature pic for the day . That’s something I set myself to do a while back – makes me go outside instead of hermitting up indoors. Its been a tough year for me and the temptation is to curl up and just give in. I have to go outside to feed my lovely old horse though, she lives in the garden so I make myself take a picture of something out there each day and post it on FB. Does me I get “into” stuff though, sharing vids, replying to posts, checking out links….then suddenly another hour has gone 😮 Anyway – I just wanted to say I had Pansies as a review book via Netgalley and loved it – really took me away into another world for a while. I loved Fen and Alfie, such real characters, such a believable story. I’m in awe of how you authors do that – create people that feel so real, that I believe in and *blush* cry for at times and am so happy when it comes right for them. My lovely late husband used to say “it’s a book jeannie, they’re not real”, while smiling as he was the same about films.
And I’m off back to try to catch up with today’s job targets 🙂

Yes, the internet is very distracting – in good ways and not so good ways 🙂 I, too, find it far too easy to vanish into Facebook, or Twitter, or wherever and even though I’m not resenting the time or considering it wasted or anything … it’s still *gone*. So I’m trying to re-focus myself a bit, especially because my writing productive has taken the hit.

And thank you so much for you kind words about PANSIES. I’m so happy you enjoyed it. It was quite a difficult book to write but I’m really proud of the way it turned out and glad to know that it’s speaking to some people.

It’s all VERY pretty! Love it. You realize there’s a chance you will get inundated with hippo pictures now? XD (I did want to send one really badly, but bit my lip, clapped my fingers and contained my childish silliness).
Glad to hear you will have more time writing! All the better for us!